Victims of War
by DistantSong
Summary: They had no choice. And he couldn't have her dying, but she was almost pleading him to let her commit suicide. Such a troublesome woman. ShikaIno one-shot. Warning: character death.


**Author's note: **If you want to, you can listen to the song 'Never Too Late' by Three days grace, while reading this. Personally I liked it way much better while listening to it. But, like I said, as you wish :P

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We had no time. No time at all. There were 236 possible ways for them to finish us in an instant, just by taking two or three moves. My old man's strategy...It is too risky but effective. I tried to think of some other solution while fighting, but it never came to my mind. His strategy...it was our only chance. And yet I couldn't command them all to go and protect us while we're doing what my father had told us to do. There were just too many risks, and chances that everything goes the right way were around 30%. How troublesome. That is why I hated wars. It is all about dying and killing, and later, it turns to mourning and staying sane after all you've been through. Geez... So troublesome.

We lost so many. My old man, Ino's old man, Neji...the people I cared about. It was a good thing that I needed to keep on fighting because I hated mourning, it was useless and troublesome, it brought nothing good at all. But she...she wanted to cry it all out. Ino. Her eyes were wet when we heard what happened to our fathers. It was hard for her. She had only him. But I had to be harsh, so I told her there is no time for mourning, that we must go on. It amazed me how she just accepted it, already determined to go and continue fighting. She was Ino after all. Unpredictable. And I couldn't bring myself to lose her, to put her life in danger without knowing that there was a way to save her. She heard what my old man had said. She was willing to do that,she yelled at me because I was a chicken and ran the other way just so I didn't have to do it. But there was no other way.

Damn.

„Shikamaru!"I heard her yelling my name from somewhere behind me. I stopped in my tracks with my eyes fixed upon Choji. He heard it too. Everyone heard it. And nobody wanted to do it. „Shikamaru!"she called again, now standing right beside me, facing me. I glanced at her for a brief moment before deciding that staring at my feet was easier, less painful. Dammit. Why did she have to be so troublesome? Why did she keep insisting to listen my old man? I knew why. It was Ino. She would accept any mission assigned to her even if there was a huge chance for her to die. Stupid, stubborn and determined. „Shikamaru, we have to do as your father had told us!" I looked at her with the corner of my eye. She was angry.

„Why?"I asked, more to myself than to her, but she heard it and felt obligated to answer.

„Do you want to end this war?"

„Yes."

„Then do it. Shikamaru, this is war. Some people have to die for the sake of the others. Our fathers had to die for our sake, for the sake of everyone fighting in this war. I want to put an end to this. I don't want to suffer anymore and I don't want others to suffer even a second more because you decided to spare my life because I am your teammate and friend! Other people's friends died to! Shikamaru, Neji died for Naruto and Hinata. He died for the sake of his comrades. He saved two lives. And I have a chance to save everyone who's still breathing. We have a chance." Her voice. It sounded so powerful, so typical for Ino in situations when I lose myself. But there was something even more. She was wrong. I didn't want to spare her life because she was my friend. She was a lot more. I wanted to marry her, too beautiful and too troublesome. Have as much children as she wants, and I think she said she wants four, two girls and two boys, first girl, then boy and then twins. I want to retire when my youngest daughter marries some good guy and when my youngest son becomes successful shinobi. When I retire I want to spend my time watching my wife working with flowers, just that would make me happy. I can play shogi or go whenever I want. I also...I always thought -and wanted- that I will die before her. And there she was, standing in front of me almost begging me to let her commit suicide. Ruining my dreams. Geez. Such a troublesome woman, as troublesome as my mother. I knew from the very beginning that my dream of marrying someone who's not too pretty nor too ugly was doomed to fail. She crushed it and made her way to my future. Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke's fangirl. Stupid me. But, it's just that women get under your skin so easily that it's too troublesome to bear it. But you can't resist, whatever she says you can't resist. Like I couldn't at that very moment.

I said yes. She immediately started ordering them all to attack Obito while we do what we must. Choji hugged her and sobbed into her shoulder when she told him what he must do. She just comforted him with some words sister would tell her brother and Choji left, fighting to stay strong. Sakura was there, few feet away from Ino who was still yelling orders. I saw admiration in her eyes and deep sadness, tears she will cry after the war. Even Naruto, who was on the front, turned to look at her with Hinata in his hands. The girl was at the verge of crying. Lee and TenTen both stared at Ino with sad expressions. Sai was staring at her and when she came to him he told her he was sorry he never managed to make a portrait of her. She blushed and came to Kiba who hugged her. Even Shino removed his glasses to meet her eye to eye. Temari just stared at her, half in awe and half in disgust. When she was done, she came back to me.

„Let's do it."she said, preparing to take her position. I was just staring at her, not sure what to do, but she was so concentrated that I just needed her... I couldn't bring myself to disappoint her. She used her telepathy technique on me, connecting me to everyone on the field, even Obito, especially Obito. I had to make him angry. Make him attack us so that Naruto could finish him off. I talked about Rin, asking him questions about her death, saying she always loved Kakashi, never him. I was talking nonsense, but Obito was so naive. It took us ten minutes. Ten minutes. He attacked us, nobody was shielding us because Ino ordered them all to go and attack. I would've done the same if I was in her place.

Something like a spear was coming through the air behind me, I heard it coming, but I couldn't move. It wasn't because of her jutsu, no, I was able to move, but I couldn't. She was there, right in front of me with closed eyes and hands on her hips. She had no chakra energy left. I couldn't go. I was always the one protecting her when she did her shintenshin no jutsu, it wouldn't be right if I left her now, when she was about to die.

And I didn't.

I held her like always when it came, when it hit us. It was a spear, I think, I saw it's peak behind her back, all covered in blood. My blood. Her blood. Our blood. It hurt just for a moment, right when it pierced my belly, but my scream got caught in blood gathering in my mouth. I saw clear blue sky, just a little circle in the world painted gray. There was a cloud. Pure white cotton-like cloud like the ones I loved the most. I smiled at the sight, discovering that even my facial muscles hurt. Soon, my head fell to her shoulder, sinked into her lilac scent. She smelled like Heaven. Troublesome Heaven. Our knees lost their strenght and we fell on the floor. I chuckled, well, I spitted blood to be precise, when I thought that at least we were not going to die lying on the floor. That would've been so troublesome. So troublesome.

„Shika...maru..."I heard her voice in my ear. It was so weak, like a softest whisper. She was still hanging on. Troublesome woman. She wanted to die so badly and now when she's about to die she is still alive. Troublesome indeed.

„Ino..." I sounded just the same, weak. No. I sounded like death. I thought she would answer. I hoped she would. But I felt her body going limp in my hands. Her head lifelessly fell on my shoulder, her blonde hair tickling my face. Tear escaped my eyes. „Ino..."I whispered again while making myself comfortable on her shoulder. Her lilac scent was the last thing I felt and our picture, yeah, picture of me and her when we were kids, it slipped on the floor from her jacket when the spear pierced us...our picture, us, smiling and blushing...It was the last and the prettiest thing that I saw.


End file.
